The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-09
SOLVING THE MYSTERY.
ESTABLISHING THE IDENTITY OF
THE MURDERED WOMAN.

The MURDERED WOMAN.
An Inquest Under the Trees-A Ghast-
ly and Horrifying Sight-Testimony
That Tells Who She Is-On the Trail
of the Murderer-Negroes Give Hints
of Who He Is.
Murder will out" is an old saw, but it
holds true in the present age as we'll as in
the time when it was younger, and the case
which was yelled in so much mystery yes
terday promises soon to prove again the
truth of the old saying. The Coronors in
quest has been held and the body, clothing
and surroundings have been thoroughly
searched for evidence of the identity of
either the murderer or his victim, or both
The search was without avail, for not sin
gle article that could throw any light on the
J case was found There was a congregation
of the neighbors about the CHASTITY spot,
however, and the small facts that one and
another knew were made common property,
and putting them together they became of
Importance. Now the identity of the
woman is established to the satisfaction of
| the people of the vicinity, if no one else,
but it is better to record the events of the
day, and permit the facts to come out in
| their proper order.
ON THE GROUND.
| Coroner Dix on and his assistant went out
! to hold the inquest, accompanied by Dr. L.
| B. Chisholm, who was the medical expert.
The Coroner also had with him one gentle
man who thought he could probably iden-
| tify the body He had seen an old
man and an aged woman around
| his store about two weeks
before, and he suspected that she might
have been the woman who was murdered.
| A glance at the body showed him his mis-
take, however, for there was not gray
hair in the head of the corpse.
| Arriving at Beauleu station the party
left the train and mounted into a wagon,
which Capt. Brown had provided for their
convenience, rode to the spot where the
body lay. A plain pine coffin also had its
place in the vehicle and it drew as a magnet
| will steel all those who saw it pass up the
road. Before the wagan had gone half the
| men and women following behind,
and they swelled considerably the
| crowd that was awaiting the
arrival of the officer. Reaching the spot
the contents of the wagon were discharged
and the coffin was laid upon the ground
few feet distant from the corpse. Two
barefooted negroes were provided with
/ SpdueS ana SGdTDeu 10 Work al once upon
| grave. No one thought of bringing the
body to the city, or of burying it in any
| cemetery. The fitting place for its inter
ment was the scene of the crime, and all
| present seemed glad that it was to be laid
| away there to rest.
MATERIAL FOR THE JURY.
Meantime, the Coroner leaned his port
| folio against tree and began to look about
him to see if he had fitting jury. DR..
| Chisholm took out his case of instruments
and prepared for a post norton. The
| crowd gathered around these two and
watched every movement with interest.
\ Interest in that case had been
| stirred to its depths, and there was not an
| eye but noted every movement. Every
| trivial thing that occurred was noticed and
| commented upon, the effort constantly being
to connect each with some phase of the case.
| Finally the Coroner and the surgeon COM
pleted their preparations and prepared to
| move to the spot that had concealed
| fo- so long so foul crime
| No place on earth, within the limits of habi-
tation, could be more suitable for the pre-
| serving of such secret than this, though it
lies within 200 yards of three dwellings 1t
| is situated between two roads, which are
about 100 yards apart. For few feet back
| from the roads the trees have been thinned
| out. Within this space is an irregular circle
1
it is at times difficult to work ones way be-
| tween them.
WHERE THE DEADLY WORK WAS DONE.
Within the centre Of this circle is another,
about fifty feet in diameter, and in it there
is thick growth of fennel that stands
above mans shoulder. In the centre of
| the fennel was where the body lay. No
doubt it was covered over by the weeds that
lowered above it when it fell but the buz-
yards and hogs had killed the weeds immedi-
ately about the body, leaving it the
space. Leading to this open spot was
path about two feet wide 1t was plainly
marked, but tine condition of the weeds
showed that it was newly made. 1t was
the pathway the swine had made. Stand
ing on the outer edge of the circle of trees
nothing could be seen of the fennel save
here and there where green spot showed
between the trunks of the saplings From
the center where the body was, nothing
could be seen beyond From neither of the
roads could any view of the spot be obtained,
and although many people passed. within
fifty yards of it day by day, not one had
ever found it until Farmer Carter, by acct
dent, came across it.
SKELETONS CHASTITY TALE.
The account that reached the city night
before last stated that the body was only
| partly uecOfnpOSeu, ana unaJ tne features,
while not distinguishable, retained a sem
blance of their shape, and such body did
all expect TO find, but when the pro-
cession filed through the pathway
and came suddenly upon the corpse
a feeling of horror came over them.
There lay a mass of putrid flesh, scarcely in
the shape of human being. The skull was
white and cleaning. No eyes, no nose, no
cheeks no lips, no brain-simply white
and broken skull, as nicely cleaned as if in
preparation to be mounted on a skeleton
| Lying just above it was the womans hair.
plaided and then coiled up about her head.
1t had fallen from her skull but it was
still nicely dressed, for the blood that
issued from the woman's head
when she was struck, hadmattedi it together
and held it firmly in its shape. The body
was lying face down, with the arms out
stretched and the fingers half closed, as if
they had been clutching something when
they became cold and stiff in death.
The body, legs and arms had been
followed out by the worms that
had not waited for the grave to receive
the body before they began their disas-
trous work. They had punctured holes in
the skin, and had made them places of in
gress and egress, and they had done their
work so well that not one thing was left
save the skeleton and the skin stretched
over it. On the back, where the skin had